Of course, some secrets could not be told, and Xiao Ping'an would not reveal all of his secrets. His conversations with the Netherworld Venerable were limited to discussing the mysteries of the Dao.
The Netherworld Venerable had truly seen Xiao Ping'an become a True Immortal, which made him even more determined to unite his Nine-Lifetime Reincarnation Seals.
Since Xiao Ping'an had already broken the shackles of heaven and earth in this world and created an unimaginable miracle, then he, the Netherworld Venerable, could do so as well.
The Netherworld Venerable would soon sever everything and begin reincarnating and cultivating anew in this lifetime.
Xiao Ping'an also generously offered that if there was ever a problem he could not resolve, he could ask him for help.
Rumble.
In the era when Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor stood side by side, an overwhelmingly domineering rumble of the Great Dao suddenly rang out from the Cosmic Frontier.
People were astonished to discover that beneath the perfect suppression of the Great Daos of the two Saint Emperors, another terrifying aura had appeared, shaking the entire world.
Amid the overlapping seas of thunder, the figure of a Barbarian Tribe member emerged, battling the heavenly tribulation.
His white bone staff was like a white dragon as it charged into the sea of thunder and tore it apart.
That figure had plunged into the sea of thunder, intent on punching a hole through it.
"Human Demon!"
"Dongfang Taiyi!"
That was right. Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi had not chosen to seal himself away in this era. Instead, he had pushed his way forward along the Starry Sky Ancient Road, all the way to its end.
Even knowing that two Ancient Emperors had already attained the Dao, Dongfang Taiyi still had not abandoned his cultivation.
After receiving Overlord Heavenly Venerable's guidance, he had used Taiji to bring Yin and Yang together, successfully curing his madness.
Overlord Heavenly Venerable had even instructed him on how to use Yin and Yang to evolve Chaos, and even transform into a Chaos Body.
That way, he could still attain the Dao and become an Emperor, even after those who came before him had done so.
Dongfang Taiyi had not transformed into a Chaos Body, but his research into Taiyin and Taiyang had indeed reached an unimaginable level.
That was the source of his confidence.
Now, by combining Yin and Yang, he had successfully reached the Peak Ninth-Level Quasi-Emperor realm and triggered the Dao Attainment Tribulation.
Feeling the aura radiating from him, everyone was astonished.
It turned out Dongfang Taiyi was not merely a Peak Ninth-Level Quasi-Emperor, as the legends claimed. Without anyone realizing it, he had already reached the realm of Alternative Dao Attainment.
Now, by triggering an even greater tribulation, he clearly intended to shatter the Heavenly Heart Imprint, stand shoulder to shoulder with Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor, and create the legend of three emperors standing side by side.
Although Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor stood above the Heavenly Heart Imprint, they had been raised to that position by Overlord Heavenly Venerable. Therefore, they did not possess strength on the level of a Heavenly Emperor.
Their strength was somewhat greater than that of ordinary Ancient Emperors, but they were still a distance away from the level of a Heavenly Emperor.
Dongfang Taiyi believed that he had already received the path to breaking through the Emperor realm from Overlord Heavenly Venerable. Naturally, he was no longer content with Alternative Dao Attainment.
He wanted to set foot in an even higher realm.
Rumble.
Blazing thunder erupted.
What astonished everyone was how unique this heavenly tribulation was. It seemed they had never seen anything like it.
Solar immortal light exploded, and the Sun's scorching divine power burst across the Chaos Sea of the universe.
The Great Dao aura unique to the Sun True Scripture spread in all directions from there.
Clearly, this was the Sun True Scripture that Dongfang Taiyi had comprehended.
But then, a sea of Taiyin, dark as ink, rose from the Chaos Sea and instantly spread across countless starry skies. The pure Taiyin Power made people's hearts tremble.
The flames of the Sun and the sea of Taiyin ran rampant in the Chaos Sea at the Cosmic Frontier, creating a wondrous scene of water and fire existing in two separate realms.
People were astonished to discover that both the flames of the Sun and the sea of Taiyin had been manifested from thunder.
It was the unique heavenly tribulation of Dongfang Taiyi, who cultivated both the Sun True Scripture and the Taiyin True Scripture.
This was an unprecedented and extraordinary heavenly tribulation.
People were astonished to discover what seemed to be the thunder-manifested imprints of the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor. The two were actually joining forces to attack Dongfang Taiyi.
Seeing the imprints of the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor, people could not help but let their imaginations run wild.
These were two Saint Emperors who had rendered great merit to the human race, and they cultivated completely opposite Great Dao powers.
But according to ancient historical legends, the two had learned each other's Great Dao and had already mastered the ability to give birth to Yang within Yin, give birth to Yin within Yang, and harmonize Yin and Yang.
Could Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi also be trying to evolve Yin and Yang, and use Yin and Yang to give rise to Chaos?
Could he, like the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor, already have mastered the harmonization of Yin and Yang?
Although the appearances of the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor were lifelike, people did not believe that these two Saint Emperors of the human race would take the initiative to attack Dongfang Taiyi, a junior.
Therefore, their first thought was that these were imprints manifested by the heavenly tribulation.
Xiao Ping'an, who was cultivating and comprehending the Dao, was also roused by this mighty heavenly tribulation.
He opened his eyes and pierced through the universe and starry sky, instantly seeing the scene in the Chaos Sea.
He had not expected Dongfang Taiyi to forcefully attempt to attain the Dao and become an Emperor in this era as well.
Under the suppression of the Great Daos of two Ancient Emperors, Dongfang Taiyi had already cultivated to the point of Alternative Dao Attainment. That was already extremely difficult.
Trying to break through their suppression, tread upon the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, and advance forward was something even Ye Fan in later generations probably could not accomplish in a short time.
After all, the two men's strength now surpassed even that of the Golden Crow Great Emperor in later generations.
Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi, who had received Overlord Heavenly Venerable's guidance, was far stronger than he had been in the original story.
Rumble.
The flames of the Sun blazed fiercely, threatening to burn that expanse of space until it collapsed.
Amid the dazzling flames of the Sun, the Sun Holy Emperor's towering, heroic figure appeared, his battle intent soaring to the heavens.
He wielded the Sun Divine Fist, as if punching through the past, present, and future. The stars across the sky trembled along with his divine fist.
In the ice-cold sea of Taiyin, the peerless Taiyin Holy Emperor unleashed his invincible Taiyin Divine Fist, sweeping everything before him.
The two Saint Emperors of Taiyin and Taiyang attacked Dongfang Taiyi together, causing that region to explode. A tremendous roar, like the creation of heaven and earth, resounded.
What astonished everyone was that the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor were actually forced backward.
If people saw this sight, they would surely be so shocked that their eyes nearly fell out.
Between the flames of the Sun and the sea of Taiyin, the figure of Dongfang Taiyi, that wild man, appeared.
Dongfang Taiyi, who had once been plain and rough, was now brimming with life and radiating surging blood qi. A sacred and majestic bearing had even emerged around him, and he radiated the might of a Human Emperor.
He looked at the imprints of the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Although he deeply respected the two Saint Emperors, since the imprints in this heavenly tribulation were trying to kill him, he naturally would not hold back.
Moreover, only by killing the imprints of these two Saint Emperors could he truly survive this tribulation.
Who could blame him for following the path of cultivating Yin and Yang together? If he had cultivated only one True Scripture, he would not have been in such a sorry state.
He cultivated the Sun True Scripture and the Taiyin True Scripture. The two scriptures clashed with each other, nearly causing his body to explode.
But in the end, he succeeded. He had even nurtured a Sun Immortal Fetus and a Taiyin Immortal Fetus within his body.
He planned to fuse Yin and Yang into Chaos at the right moment, perhaps allowing him to live out a new lifetime through it.
Even if he could not live out a new lifetime, he could absolutely benefit from it for the rest of his journey toward immortality.
Evolving Yin and Yang into Chaos was not something one could accomplish simply by knowing the theory.
Although he had received guidance from Overlord Heavenly Venerable, Dongfang Taiyi still could not do it.
Yin and Yang were opposed, yet they could also fuse with each other.
Taiyin and Taiyang were two entirely different Great Daos. Every time they collided, it was a battle to the death.
Dongfang Taiyi needed to forcibly suppress Taiyin and Taiyang and rise above them.
At that moment, Dongfang Taiyi looked at the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor, manifested from thunder, his battle intent soaring to the heavens.
The white bone staff in his hand, carrying a frenzied killing intent, smashed toward the Sun Holy Emperor.
Dongfang Taiyi's invincible divine fist, meanwhile, smashed toward the Taiyin Holy Emperor.
In an instant, Taiyin Power and Taiyang Power boiled over.
The battle in the Chaos Sea shook the heavens and split the earth. Boundless Chaos exploded, and dazzling divine light surged out in torrents toward every corner of the universe.
In another era, Dongfang Taiyi might already have successfully attained the Dao and become an Emperor.
But in this era, Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor stood high above, and the suppression of their Great Daos was unparalleled.
For Dongfang Taiyi, attaining the Dao and becoming an Emperor was simply too difficult.
Furthermore, Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor were now both at the peak of their strength. They had not entered their later years, and their blood qi was still slowly increasing. This made their suppression even more astonishing.
All living beings in heaven and earth watched Dongfang Taiyi undergoing his tribulation through Heavenly Eyes or other arrays.
They saw the astonishing scene there.
They watched Dongfang Taiyi use Yin and Yang to evolve Chaos as he fiercely battled the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor.
He manifested countless forms of Chaos, driving the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor back again and again.
He blasted their bodies apart time after time.
In the end, people were astonished to discover that the Sun Holy Emperor and the Taiyin Holy Emperor had also fused into one, transformed into Chaos Divine Thunder, and charged toward Dongfang Taiyi.
People saw the most dazzling Chaos Divine Light blaze at the Cosmic Frontier.
That terrifying light illuminated the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Accompanied by a deafening crash, the sound spread throughout the entire world.
Brilliant Chaos lightning danced through the air, its terrifying aura obscuring everything there.
Xiao Ping'an looked in that direction and saw that Dongfang Taiyi's body had already disappeared.
It seemed he had died.
But very soon, a strange sight appeared in that expanse of space.
A Sun blazed fiercely, and a Taiyin star blazed fiercely as well.
Two suns burned fiercely, entwining and merging with each other.
Looking closely, it seemed that a baby identical to Dongfang Taiyi as a child was gestating inside each sun.
Although the aura unique to Dongfang Taiyi had vanished, this mysterious sight seemed to foretell that he was undergoing an astonishing transformation.
Xiao Ping'an looked at it and nodded.
"Looks like, after my guidance, Dongfang Taiyi really has found his own path."
"In the original story, he was sealed until Ye Fan's era, but he had already emerged at the end of the Primordial Age and cultivated to this level."
"Since he wants to attain the Emperor's Dao in this era, I'll give him a hand."
As he spoke, Xiao Ping'an reached out and personally suppressed the Heavenly Heart Imprint and the Great Daos of the two contemporaneous Dao-attainers.
He let Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi break through in peace.
People had thought Dongfang Taiyi was already dead.
But in the end, an utterly terrifying surge of Great Dao fluctuations swept over them.
People were astonished to discover that another figure had appeared on the Heavenly Heart Imprint.
The world had gained another person who had attained the Emperor's Dao.
Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi had attained the Emperor's Dao. People respectfully called him the Demon Emperor.
Dongfang Taiyi was very pleased with this title. He believed he ought to make others afraid of him, and that it would be best if his enemies trembled in fear as soon as they heard his name.
Word soon spread that Dongfang Taiyi had been able to rise above the Heavenly Heart Imprint only because Overlord Heavenly Venerable had intervened.
He had personally suppressed the Heavenly Heart Imprint and lifted Dongfang Taiyi into that position.
Without him, there was no way Dongfang Taiyi could have attained the Emperor's Dao in this era.
But no matter what, Dongfang Taiyi had attained the Emperor's Dao. His strength was greater than that of an ordinary Ancient Emperor, yet still seemed far below the Heavenly Emperor's.
The three Dao-attainers were more or less evenly matched, with little difference between them.
It was said that the Fighting Saint Emperor was delighted. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would drag Dongfang Taiyi to the Mythic Battlefield for a fight.
He felt that his Battle Immortal Dao was growing ever more mature through tempering.
At the end of the Primordial Age, just as the world was about to enter the Age of Declining Dharma, a situation with three Emperors standing side by side had suddenly emerged.
It was an incomparably glorious and brilliant era.
History had once seen eight Emperors stand side by side. That was the miracle Overlord Heavenly Venerable had created back then.
After so many years, people had once again witnessed a similar spectacle, a replay of the myth.
Some tried to replicate Dongfang Taiyi's success, but in the end, they failed.
After careful deduction, people discovered that reaching that level was truly too difficult.
It was even harder than attaining the Emperor's Dao in an ordinary era.
After all, three Emperors now stood side by side, and the Great Dao's suppression was layered upon itself. Attaining the Emperor's Dao was simply too difficult.
Unless Overlord Heavenly Venerable intervened again, breaking the Heavenly Heart Imprint and personally suppressing the myriad Daos of Heaven and Earth.
But who was Overlord Heavenly Venerable? Was he someone just anyone could summon?
Attaining the Emperor's Dao was already difficult. Rising above the Heavenly Heart Imprint was harder still. And to trouble Overlord Heavenly Venerable on top of that-who in the whole world had such standing and such ability?
So, at this point, attaining the Emperor's Dao was simply impossible.
But although no one could attain the Emperor's Dao, the Heavenly Heart Imprint had remained unfused. People were astonished to discover that, though they could not fuse with it, they could strive toward Alternative Dao Attainment.
They could also strive to reach the Peak Ninth-Level Quasi-Emperor level.
After all, that was still a position where one stood beneath only a single person, yet above ten thousand others.
After Human Demon Dongfang Taiyi, some peerless prodigies were still unwilling to accept this and tried to break through the limits of Heaven and Earth.
But in the end, no one succeeded.
From then on, no more powerhouses who achieved Alternative Dao Attainment were born.
The strongest cultivators reached only Great Accomplishment Ninth-Level Quasi-Emperor.
In this era, three Emperors stood side by side, making it seem so extraordinary.
Since Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor were not human, the Primordial Beings and the demon race flourished immensely for a time.
Of course, their prosperity still could not compare with humanity's.
Humanity flourished even more.
After all, there was not only the Demon Emperor Dongfang Taiyi, but also a True Immortal like Overlord Heavenly Venerable standing behind them.
Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor had both challenged Overlord Heavenly Venerable.
Unfortunately, they could not even defeat one of his fingers.
This caused the legend of Overlord Heavenly Venerable, the supreme and peerless divine being, to spread across the world once more.
Overlord Heavenly Venerable was also respectfully hailed as the strongest Heavenly Venerable throughout all ages.
After the Demon Emperor attained the Emperor's Dao, the whole world began to show signs of decline.
The Golden Age had turned from flourishing to waning.
Fewer and fewer peerless prodigies were being born throughout the world.
The three Emperors stood side by side, suppressing the whole world and leaving everyone who aspired to attain the Emperor's Dao in despair.
At this time, astonishing surges of Great Dao fluctuations would occasionally ring out from the Mythic Battlefield. Clearly, the three Ancient Emperors were discussing the mysteries of the Dao.
Sometimes people sensed that the Fighting Saint Emperor's aura seemed somewhat stronger than that of the other two Ancient Emperors.
Some said the Fighting Saint Emperor's Battle Immortal Dao was far too fierce and overbearing. This fierce and domineering Battle Immortal Dao came at the cost of his lifespan and source.
He seemed to have a slight edge, but in truth, this carried great hidden dangers.
No one knew whether the rumor was true. People merely passed it around as hearsay.
If Xiao Ping'an were here, he could certainly tell them that it was true.
The Fighting Saint Emperor was rapidly increasing his strength at the cost of his own power and source, advancing toward the level of the Heavenly Emperor.
He seemed to have the upper hand over Di Que and the Demon Emperor, but in reality, this Great Dao truly could not be sustained.
Xiao Ping'an had once advised the Fighting Saint Emperor, but to his surprise, the Fighting Saint Emperor really was like a monkey in temperament. He simply would not listen to reason, and there was no talking him out of it.
Xiao Ping'an only offered him a couple of pointers and did not keep trying to persuade him.
After all, he did not want to lecture him like a nagging father. If the Fighting Saint Emperor could truly find his own path, that would be good too.
Although Xiao Ping'an knew the Battle Immortal Path was a path destined to fail, he still supported the Fighting Saint Emperor if he truly meant to walk it.
When you take too big a step, you'll tear your balls. The Fighting Saint Emperor would not turn back until he learned the hard way.
In the original story, the Fighting Saint Emperor had gone all the way down that path, even triggering the great upheaval of Heaven and Earth ahead of time when he suddenly fell.
The Primordial Beings had no choice but to seal themselves away in a hurry, without making many of the preparations they had planned.
With Xiao Ping'an in this era, he could use his boundless power to delay the great upheaval of Heaven and Earth for a while, but he could not hold it off for long.
So, watching the monkey grow stronger and stronger, Xiao Ping'an began making preparations too.
After all, when the great upheaval of Heaven and Earth arrived, everyone would be affected.
Moreover, Xiao Ping'an felt that his seventh life could seemingly come to an end, and that he could begin his eighth.
He was drawing ever closer to becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
He could feel his strength constantly growing, his lifespan becoming ever longer, and Longevity Substance beginning to form within his body.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
One day, while Xiao Ping'an was making deductions, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the Underworld.
The Netherworld Venerable's Dao-attainment weapon, the Heaven-Penetrating Nether Treasure, suddenly burst out of the Underworld and hurtled into the Cosmic Frontier.
The Netherworld Venerable's figure also appeared in the Cosmic Frontier.
The next moment, the Netherworld Venerable triggered the Dao Attainment Tribulation.
In this era, with three Emperors standing side by side, people were suddenly astonished to discover that another Dao Attainment Tribulation had appeared in the Cosmic Frontier.